Sheriff Clarke Does Not Compute

Here are 2 headlines and summaries from news page of JS Online.

Clarke criticizes Doyle's inmate-release plan
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. issued a blistering critique Friday of Gov. Jim Doyle's early-release plan for certain prison inmates, saying it would be playing Russian roulette with public safety.

State prison rate quadrupled since 1982, report says
Wisconsin's incarceration rate quadrupled over 25 years, rising faster than all but six other states. In 1982, 1 in 437 Wisconsinites was in jail or prison. By 2007, the rate had jumped to 1 in 109 residents.

OK, let's take a look at the statistics.

Here's what up (index-wise, per 100,000 residents) on the state crime scene. (1982, 2007)

1. Murder (3.1 to 3.3)

2. Forcible rape (14.3 to 21.8)

3. Robbery (71.9 to 97.7)

4. Aggravated assault (101.9 to 168.1)

5. Vehicle theft (182.7 to 239.8)

Overall, the violent crime index (1-4) has increased from 190.5 to 290.9.

So..... if not lowering the crime rate, what was the purpose of Wisconsin's aggressive program of incarceration? You might find a partial answer here.